Medical Attributes of Valeriana officinalis - Valerian

July, 2011

Valeriana officianalis, commonly called valerian, is a perennial herb of the Valerianaceae (Valerian family).  The family contains approximately 150 species, of which approximately 20% have medicinal value (MDidea 2011).  Valerian is native to Europe, but has been cultivated worldwide and is now found in natural ecosystems of North America, Mexico, east and west Asia, Siberia, Manchuria, and Japan. Valerian grows in a range of soils, climates, and elevations.  The species is especially common in damp areas along riverbeds and streams.

Valerian is sometimes difficult to recognize because it has highly varied morphology. This diversity is contributed to valerian’s unique ability to adapt its leaf form to the specific conditions of a particular environment (Vogel 2011). All the valerian species have a rhizome with secondary roots and short runners. Its hollow stem grows between 80 and 120 cm tall with highly branched ends. The branched stems terminate in umbels, that bear tiny white or pink flowers from May to August. In spring, the plant develops a basal rosette of pinnate leaves. Later it produces lace-like pinnate compound leaves in a paired opposite arrangement.

Valerian has had a variety of herbal uses in different cultures. In ancient Greece, Galen and Dioscorides called valerian “phu” because it has smell is similar to old sweat. Valerian has been used as an antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, hypnotic, hypotensive, relaxant, sedative, stimulant, and powerful nervine. Galen, Hippocrates, and Theophrastus praised this plant for its variety of uses, however many of the deemed uses became known to be incorrect. In the 1500s, Calumna claimed the plant to be an efficacious treatment for epilepsy and insomnia. From 1733-1936, valerian was one of the most prescribed medicines in European and American medicine. Today this plant is still widely used as a safe and effective over-the-counter sleep aid. In fact Valium, the most prescribed anti-anxiety drug, is said to have taken its name from the herb itself. The valerian plant contains a variety of chemical compounds that contribute to its function. Valerian’s active compounds include the alkaloids: actidine, chatinine, shyanthine, valerianine, and valerine. Other compunds include isovaleramide, GABA, isovaleric acid, irinoids (valerpotriates, valtrate, isovaltate), and valerneric acid (MDidea 2011).

Many studies have tested the effectiveness of valerian as a treatment for insomnia and sleep disorders. Tokunaga et al. (2006) demonstrated that valerian can help induce sleep without alteration to the sleep-wakefulness cycle in model rats, though the extract given to the rats contained two other ingredients including golden root.  Hattesohl et al. (2008) demonstrated that valerian in high doses is a good sleep aid for mice and rats due to its anxiolytic and antidepressant properties rather than of any sedative properties it may have. Taibi et al. (2009) found that valerian has no effect on older women with insomnia, but their study may have been flawed because the sample size was small (16 women), the dose was low (300 mg), and the duration of the study was only two weeks. Barton et al. (2011) tested 227 subjects at a dose of 450 mg for 8 weeks. They found that valerian did not elicit sleep, but many of the subjects reported a reduction in fatigue throughout the day. Anderson et al. (2010) attributed these apparently contradictory findings to a large variability in the rate at which different people metabolized the valerian, which may contribute to the inconsistency of valerian as a sleep aid. Many of the studies that have been done to test valerian have been flawed. Generally, valerian seems to have little effect as a sleep inducer, especially on humans, though more human clinical trials are needed.

In addition to traditional claims of valerian as a sleep aid, valerian has also been shown to be effective on other symptoms. Valerian has been demonstrated to improve symptoms of patients with Restless Legs Syndrome (Cuellar & Ratcliffe 2009).  Valerian also protects against vacuous chewing movements, a symptom in Parkinson’s disease, and tardive dyskinesia (Pereira et al. 2011).  Valerian can be used as an anti-convulsant with epileptic patients (Rezvani et al. 2010). Many of valerian’s positive effects may be attributed to its general “cure-all” properties.  Wang et al. (2010) demonstrated that valerian has antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activity (Wang et al. 2010).  These studies are recent and have not yet to be repeated by other researchers.

Valerian’s mechanism of action has been strongly debated. Some studies show evidence that valerenic acid and valerenol bind to GABA receptors in the brain, thereby releasing GABA (Santos et al. 1994, Benke et al. 2009). Del Valle et al. (2011) demonstrated that valerian decreases binding of metabotropic glutamate receptors in the brain of rats, causing central nervous system depression. The anticonvulsant effect of valerian has a mechanism of action by which selective adenosine receptors are activated in the brain (Rezvani et al. 2010). All of these studies seem to be well done, so valerian may affect the nervous system though various pathways. A mechanism for how Valerian passes through the blood-brain barrier is still unknown (Neuhaus et al. 2008).

Valerian seems to have few adverse reactions or interactions. Valerian has been shown to have bad interactions with anesthetics. Chaplin et al. (2007) demonstrated that it took longer for animals to wake up from isoflurane anesthesia when it was combined with valerian. Skorska (2005) found that Valerian farmers have an increased immunological response to certain bacteria, especially to Pantoea agglomerans. Unequivocal evidence that Valerian has any adverse side effects is lacking.

In conclusion, valerian has long been used as an herbal therapy for insomnia, anxiety, and many other ailments. There is some scientific support for valerian as a sleep aid, but scientists have not been able to demonstrate that it works in all cases. Some new evidence suggests that valerian extracts can be used to treat epilepsy, Restless Legs Syndrome, and symptoms from Parkinson’s disease and tardive dyskinesia. Most importantly, valerian does not appear to have too many adverse side effects. Much more research needs to be done on how this plant can help humans, but it is safe to use if not very effective.

LITERATURE CITED

Anderson, G.D., G.W. Elmer, D.M. Taibi, M.V. Vitiello, E. Kantor, T.F. Kalhorn, W.N. Howald, S. Barsness, & C.A. Landis. 2010. Pharmacokinetics of valerenic acid after single and multiple doses of valerian in older women. Phytotherapy Research 24(10):1442-6.

Barton, D.L, P.J. Atherton, B.A. Bauer, D.F. Moore, B.I. Mattar, B.I. Lavasseur, K.M. Rowland, R.T. Zon, N.A. Lelindqwister, G.G. Nagargoje, T.I. Morgenthaler, J.A. Sloan, & C.L. Loprinzi. 2011. The use of Valeriana officinalis (Valerian) in improving sleep in patients who are undergoing treatment for cancer: a phase III randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study (NCCTG Trial, N01C5). J Support Oncol 9(1):24-31.

Benke, D., A. Barberis, S. Kopp, K.H. Altmann, M. Schubiger, K.E. Vogt, U. Rudolph, & H. Mohler. 2009. GABA_A receptors as in vivo substrate for the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid, a major constituent of valerian root extracts. Neuropharmacology 56(1): 174-81.

Chaplin, R.L., J. Jedynak, D. Johnson, D. Heiter, L. Shovelton, & N. Garrett. 2007. The effects of valerian on the time course of emergence from general anesthesia in Sprague-Dawley rats (Rattus norvegicus). AANA Journal 75(6):431-5.

Cuellar, N.G. & S.J. Ratcliffe. 2009. Does valerian improve sleepiness and symptom severity in people with restless legs syndrome? Alternative therapies in health and medicine 22(22-8).

Del Valle-Mojica, L.M., Y.M. Ayala-Marin, C.M. Ortiz-Sanchez, B.A. Torres-Hernandez, S. Abdalla-Mukhaimer, & J.G. Ortiz. 2011. Selective interactions of Valeriana officinalis extracts and valernic acid with [H]glutamate binding to rat synaptic membranes. Evid. Based Complement Alternat Med.  Epub ahead of print.

Hattesohl, M., B. Feistel, H. Sievers, R. Lehnfeld, M. Hegger, & H. Winterhoff.  2008. Extracts of Valeriana officinalis L. s.l. show anxiolytic and antidepressant effects but neither sedative nor myorelaxant properties. Phytomedicine 15(1-2): 2-15.

MDidea. 2011.  Research Update of Valerian Root [web page] http://www.mdidea.com/products/herbextract/valerian/research.html [accessed 1 July 2011].

Neuhaus, W., G. Trauner, G. Daniela, S. Oelzant, W. Klepal, B. Kopp, C. Noe. 2008. Transport of a GABA_A receptor modulator and its derivatives from Valerian officianlis L. s. l. across an in vitro cell culture model of the blood-brain barrier. Planta Med 74(11): 1338-1344.

Pereira, R.P., R. Fachinetto, A. de Souza Prestes, C. Wagner, J.H. Sudati, A.A. Boligon, M.L. Athayde, V.M. Morsch, J.B. Rocha. 2011. Valeriana officinalis ameliorates vacuous chewing movements induced by reserpine in rats. J Neural Transm 21476069.

Rezvani, M.E., A. Roohbakhsh, M. Allahtavakoli, A. Shamsizadeh. 2010. Anticonvulsant effect of aqueous extract of Valeriana officinalis in amygdala-kindled rats: possible involvement of adenosine. J Ethnopharmacol 127(2): 313-8.

Santos, M.S., F. Ferreira, A.P. Cunha, A.P. Carvalho, C.F. Ribeiro, T. Macedo. 1994. Synaptosomal GABA release as influenced by valerian root extract—involvement of the GABA carrier. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther 327(2): 220-31.

Skórska, C., M. Golec, B. Mackiewicz, A. Góra, J. Dutkiewicz. 2005. Health effects of exposure to herb dust in valerian growing farmers. Ann Agric Environ Med 12, 247–252.

Taibi, D.M., M.V. Vitiello, S. Barsness, G.W. Elmer, G.D. Anderson, C.A. Landis. 2009. A randomized clinical trial of valerian fails to improve self-reported, polysomnographic, and actigraphic sleep in older women with insomnia. Sleep Medicine 319 (319-28).

Tokunaga, S., Y. Takeda, T. Niimoto, N. Nishida, T. Kubo, T. Ohno, Y. Matsuura, Y. Kawahara, K. Shinomiya, C. Kamei.  2007.  Effect of valerian extract preparation (BIM) on the sleep-wake cycle in rats. Biol. Pharm. Bull 30(2) 363-366.

Vogel, A.  2011.  Valeriana officinalis L. Valerian [web page]. http://www.avogel.ca/en/plant-encyclopaedia/valeriana_officinalis.php [accessed 1 July 2011].

Wang, J., J. Zhao, H. Liu, L. Zhou, Z. Liu, J. Wang, J. Han, Z. Yu, F. Yang.  2010.  Chemical analysis and biological activity of the essential oils of two valerianaceous species from China: Nardostachys chinensis and Valeriana officinalis. Molecules 15(9):6411-22.

Return to Plant Summaries page